I’m not sure the pursuit of comfort has ever been a high priority in the world of youth ministry. Any adult familiar with the phrases paintball war, iron-gut champion, or middle school lock-in can attest to this reality. Oh, the countless, unsung heroes of youth ministry to whom we owe a moment of silent prayer and a lifetime supply of the “little pink bottle.” So, in the spirit of C.S. Lewis, I like to tell myself that youth workers are more concerned with the pursuit of truth than the pursuit of comfort. Besides making me sound much nobler than I really am, labeling myself as a “truth seeker” seats me right next to those pursuers of truth with whom I most desire to share God’s truth: teenagers.
“In religion, as in war and everything else, comfort is the one thing you cannot get by looking for it. If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end. If you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth — only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin with and, in the end, despair.”1
One of the most intriguing paradoxes about postmodern teenage culture is that despite their fervent suspicion of any universal statement of truth, teenagers passionately desire to hear, see, and experience truth.2 They are, in fact, on a quest for truth; a quest which only ceases in the sufficiency of Jesus Christ, who promises in
In our culture, telling the truth no longer means acceptance of the truth. Teens have to taste it, see it, and experience it before they believe it. Thankfully Jesus hasn’t left us empty-handed. Christ is the creator of truth, the giver of truth, the embodiment of truth, and he wants to use your life to show your students that truth does exist, and that it comes only from him.
Young eyes are scrutinizing your every action to see if there is truth in the way you live and in the way you make decisions. If truth permeates those aspects of your life, students will see it, and they will want it for themselves. If truth does not pervade the way you live and make decisions, students will also see that, and they may take another step back from the creator of truth.
As we try to make God-pleasing decisions in ministry, how do we respond to disagreements about which actions are correct? Is it best to default to our personal interpretation of Scripture? Should we do whatever our church elders tell us to do? Should we just pray a lot and do what we think the Holy Spirit is telling us?
Yes to all three. In a world that scoffs at the truth, teenagers need Christian role models who point to three essential and interdependent touchstones for determining truth: God’s Book, God’s Body, and God’s Breath.
Diagram of Truthful Decision-Making
As much as I would love to employ an explanatory, three-legged stool illustration in homage to the mockumentary Waiting for Guffman, a Venn diagram more accurately illustrates the interdependency of the Book, the Body, and the Breath to determine truth.
Represented by circles, these three elements overlap and demonstrate several relational possibilities between each other. Where the Book, the Body, and the Breath intersect is the center of the diagram and the focus of our discussion, “truth.” Where each element intersects only one of the other elements are three “deficient” intersections: deactivated, detached, and deluded. Our goal as Christians is not to incorporate only two elements into our pursuit of truth; rather we must incorporate all three elements to avoid deficient resolutions.
Before examining the diagram further, three things must be said. First, this illustration is simply a methodological tool for discerning actions/choices that best embody the truth of Christ. It does not intend to devalue the relevance, importance, or inerrancy of the Bible. Input from the Breath and the Body does not replace the need for the Bible, nor does it add truth that is not already in the Scriptures. Instead each circle is a unique manifestation of God’s truth already verified in Scripture. The inclusion of all three elements merely helps us sharpen our understanding of scriptural truths whose applications pivot on biblical interpretation.
Second, the Encarta Dictionary defines truth as “something that corresponds to fact or reality.” If we believe God to be the benchmark of factuality and reality, then truthful decisions refer to those choices that correspond to the will of God. (In the context of this article, the word “truth” better refers to “truth-full decisions” than to truth itself.)
Third, some of you might be familiar with the three-legged stool illustration created by the 15th-century Anglican theologian, Richard Hooker. Hooker believed that the stool of decision-making rested upon three essential legs: Scripture, tradition, and reason. I have tried to title my categories a little more broadly; instead of “tradition,” the “Body of God” suggests individual and institutional insight from saints of the past and present. In addition, the category “Breath of God” emphasizes the Holy Spirit’s leading in conjunction with rationality and personal experience. Finally, the most important distinction from the three-legged stool is that the Venn diagram reveals the three deficient intersections that would not be visually represented otherwise. Before addressing the deficiencies, I will argue for the essentiality of the Book, the Body, and the Breath in the Christian’s decision-making process.
God’s Book: What does the Bible have to say about this?
“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. It is God’s way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do.”3
God chose to be revealed to humanity through general revelation (nature, human beings, and universal truths) and through special revelation (the Bible). The Bible is our authority for truth and life. The Bible is the written word of God, and to believe it is to believe God. It cannot be added to or improved upon by scholars, mystics, psychics, or saints.4
As we seek to make decisions that align with God’s will, we must first pursue insight and wisdom from the Scriptures. As we do so, we must not fall into the temptation of being radically conservative or radically liberal in our interpretation of Scripture. To make sure we stay balanced in our study of the Bible, we must use responsible hermeneutics. Hermeneutics is a fancy word for “translation” or “interpretation.” An initial step toward fair use of Scripture is to put away our preconceived notions and our personal agendas before opening God’s book. We must let the Bible form our opinions rather than make it fit our opinions.5
If we are too conservative in our interpretation of Scripture, we run the risk of falling into legalism and literalism. If we are too liberal in our interpretation of Scripture, we risk biblical naiveté and might not go to the Bible for guidance at all. To avoid biblical conservatism/liberalism, we should use a wide range of tools to aid us in our understanding of Scripture. Examples of helpful references include commentaries, concordances, Bible dictionaries and encyclopedias, Greek lexicons, and books by educated writers. As learners, teachers, and appliers of God’s word, youth workers must do their homework to discern the true meaning and proper application of biblical passages.
God’s Body: What do other Christians think about this?
“Although I hope to come to you soon, I am writing you these instructions so that, if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.”6
In
Seeking guidance from the body occurs on both an individual and institutional level. In making decisions, we can seek wisdom from godly individuals: elders in our congregations, Christian leaders in our communities, and influential Christians in the history of the Church who can offer insight from personal experience. We can also seek wisdom on an institutional level, considering input from our home congregations, from other congregations that compose Christ’s body, and from the Church’s journey throughout the past 2,000 years.
Again, we must pursue balance in our quest for truthful decisions by carefully weighing the insight and opinions from all the parts of God’s body. If we are too biased toward our own congregation, we might begin to think that our church or denomination is the only one that’s correct. If we are too liberal, we risk disregarding the traditions and wisdom that have resulted from all the church’s successes and failures.
God’s Breath: What is the Holy Spirit telling me about this?
“I will talk to the Father, and he’ll provide you another Friend so that you will always have someone with you. This Friend is the Spirit of Truth. The godless world can’t take him in because it doesn’t have eyes to see him, doesn’t know what to look for. But you know him already because he has been staying with you, and will even be in you!”8
On Jesus’ last night on earth, he promised his best friends that the Spirit of Truth would always be with them and even in them. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit, or the Breath of God, is a gift to all believers upon receiving Christ into their hearts. This is why we are temples of the Living God — God’s Breath lives in us (
In a culture that encourages people to do what feels “good,” Christians have to be extremely careful not to confuse the Holy Spirit with their emotions. God did create us as emotional beings, but God also created us as rational beings. If what we feel does not align with what we know to be true in Scripture, then we have every reason to believe that our emotions are getting the best of us or that Satan is manipulating us. If we only rely on what we feel the Holy Spirit is telling us to do, then we risk making irrational decisions that contradict Scripture and God’s will for our lives. On the other hand, if we leave no room for the Spirit’s leading in our lives, we may grow numb to the power of God within us. Always keep your feelings in check with the truth of Scripture.
The Three Deficiencies
In our quest for truth, keeping balanced insight from God’s Book, God’s Body, and God’s Breath is critically important. When our balance is out of whack, or when we don’t even try to incorporate all three manifestations of truth into our decisionmaking process, we will likely fall victim to one of three deficiencies: Deactivated, Detached, or Deluded.
Deactivated: (Book + Body) – Breath
Have you ever been to a church that sticks to its traditions like a wad of gum sticks to asphalt in August? Whenever you try to do something new, the church leaders reject your proposal because “that’s the way it has always been.” Tradition can be wonderful and powerful, but it can also be oppressive and cold.
I recently heard about a church that has every minute of every church service planned. I understand the usefulness of planning and organization, but unwillingness to let worship or the sermon go two minutes past allotted time limits seems extreme. This is symbolic of the way many Christians knowingly or unknowingly lead their walks of faith. They are deactivated from the Spirit. Their unwillingness to let God’s Breath work outside the allotment we allow hinders the release of God’s full power. God will not break down the doors to our hearts. Jesus wants us to choose him as our savior, as our Lord, and as our mover. Always make room for the Spirit to move.
Detached: (Book + Breath) – Body
The reality of isolationism in our culture can be concisely summarized in the lyrics of Simon and Garfunkel’s “I Am a Rock”:
I have my books / And my poetry to protect me
I am shielded in my armor
Hiding in my room / Safe within my womb
I touch no one and no one touches me
I am a rock / I am an island.10
One of my greatest fears for Christian teenagers today is that they will become islands and reject Christ’s body. We can never underestimate the importance of the Church for teenagers in this postmodern world. Duffy Robbins correctly writes, “While Christianity affirms individual responsibility, it also affirms the individual’s responsibility to the community. This sense of connectedness and accountability has been lost in the privatism that now permeates even church life.”11
Every Christian can testify to the blessing of having a personal relationship with Christ, but they are misled if they believe that Christianity is only about their relationship with Christ. God did not create us to be islands. God created us to be connected. When Christians isolate themselves, they also detach themselves from the eternal body of Christ. Each of us is a small but important part of Christ’s body and only utilized fully in union with the church.
Deluded: (Body + Breath) – Book
Bad things happen when Christians stop reading the Bible. Not only do we become incompetent in our knowledge of Scripture, but also we stop allowing God to sharpen us by the truth of his Word. Our failure to spend time meditating and studying the Bible has disastrous consequences in our private lives as well as in our ministries: 1) Individuals fall into temptation continually by not utilizing the power found in the Book of God, and 2) youth workers can lead students astray by their knowledge of biblical teachings instead of their knowledge of Scripture itself.
The Bible for Christians is like spinach for Popeye. We have to consume it often to stay strong in our faith journeys. Christians who don’t find their purposes and identities in the truth of Scripture are deluded. They are not pursuing truth, and they are likely hurting the Church by perpetuating nontruths. It’s very easy to leave our unopened Bibles on our nightstands, so we have to be conscientious about communing with God through the Word on a daily basis. Only when we seek to do this will we grow in our personal relationships with God, equip ourselves for every good work, and be empowered by the Holy Spirit to do the impossible through Christ, our strength.
Truth: Where God’s Book, Body, and Breath Intersect
“Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.”12
The final portion of the diagram is the miraculous centerpiece that beautifully balances the three manifestations of God’s truth. Practically speaking, this will be the prayerful resolution you reach upon identifying the overlap of your insights from the Bible, the church, and the Holy Spirit. Even if you feel unsure about your resolution after receiving sufficient insight from God’s Book, God’s Body, and God’s Breath, remember that Jesus is bigger than feelings. Be at peace in the knowledge that you will find him if you seek him with all your heart.13
There is no tried and true, three-step process that pinpoints God’s desire for you in every situation. Many times in ministry, there are several “right” options, but our task is to try to identify the most right option. As you look for insight from different sources, make a conscious effort to be balanced in your reception of that insight. When you search the Scriptures, don’t ever think that just because you work with youth that you’re not responsible for doing the same amount of hermeneutical legwork your senior pastor does for his or her sermons. That is a fallacy we must put to death if we expect to increase the credibility of youth ministry as a profession and as a priority in the church. When you seek Christ, let him move in you and let him move in a big way; but always keep your emotions in check and verify your insight from the Holy Spirit with Scripture. When you summon the saints, look to your congregation, but also look beyond it; learn from Christians present and from those who have passed.
Finally, remember that the way you make decisions in ministry doesn’t only affect you; it affects those to whom you minister. As youth workers, we’re not expected to be perfect, but we are expected to chase after God’s heart in all we do. Have the courage to seek the truth, to follow the truth, and to share the truth with a generation that needs it more than you will ever know.
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DAN HALLOCK is director of student ministries at Aspen Grove Community Church in Littleton, Colorado. He attends Denver Seminary fulltime and is married to his beautiful wife, Cindy.
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1 C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (New York: Macmillan, 1968), 39.
2 Duffy Robbins, This Way to Youth Ministry (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2004), 316-317.
3 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NLT)
4 Rick Cornish, 5 Minute Theologian (Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2004), 60.
5 Ibid., 72.
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7 Lewis, Mere Christianity, 79.
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9 Cornish, 5 Minute Theologian, 270.
10 Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, “I Am a Rock,” Sounds of Silence, Simon and Garfunkel Lyrics Archive. Andrea L. Robinson (Webmaster),
http://sglyrics. myrmid.com/greatesthits.html (accessed October 31, 2005).
11 Robbins, This Way, 312.
12 Psalm 25:4-5 (NIV)
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